My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke

Sound DNA

• Jazz

About

Singer Al Jarreau and keyboardist George Duke go all the way back to 1965, when Duke had just gotten a foothold in San Francisco and Jarreau lit up an open mic, leading to a club owner to pair the two together. They played the gig for three years and went on individually to great success. Sadly, Duke passed in 2013. Now Jarreau has assembled an all-star tribute album featuring a broad range of material from the Duke songbook. (Most guest artists are listed next to the song titles.) The singer also gets the help of such notable producers as John Burk, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Boney James (who also appears with Duke on “Bring Me Joy”). This galaxy of musical friends not only heightens the legacy George Duke leaves behind but illustrates his versatility, as tunes run from the straight R&B of “Sweet Baby” to the bossa nova of “SomeBossa (Summer Breezin’)” to the gutbucket grooves of “You Touch My Brain” to the smooth “My Old Friend.”

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits